A good source for great leads on where to find a tasty burger is law enforcement officers. They spend a lot of time in a limited geographical area and have sniffed out the best food. While I’ve fielded restaurant recommendations from cops before, Nick’s was a place I knew from having driven by numerous times but had never eaten at because of their morning-only hours. They were always closed by the time I was looking for a burger, so I imagine their early hours to be targeting truckers and police officers. If it’s popular amongst law enforcement, it must be good… right?
Nick’s is a quaint little diner. I wouldn’t be surprised if the interior appearance hasn’t changed much since they first opened in 1948. The large U-shaped counter provides the only seating inside, while a handful of tables with umbrellas allow you to sit outside. The décor is a mix between old railroad and police paraphernalia. There is even an old menu on the wall that offers a low-calorie special for $1.25, which features a hamburger patty. The present day menu is heavy on breakfast but the first group of items under the lunch heading is burgers.
The choices were uncomplicated and I opted for the Bacon Swiss Burger ($7.50), which is served with a pickle spear and the tiniest serving of coleslaw you can fathom. For another buck I added hand cut fries to the order. While waiting for the burger to be cooked, the fellow sitting to my left said that I wouldn’t be disappointed as, “Nick’s has the best burger in L.A.” He crushed my hopes as quickly as he had raised them by adding, “you know what makes a good burger? Tapatio sauce on the French fries.”
Fortunately my basket arrived, stemming the need for clarification on how fry sauce makes or breaks a burger. The first detail I noticed was that the ovoid bun was huge, with a large burn mark in the center of the top piece. A large, green lettuce leaf peeked out from beneath the bun with just the tip of the bacon visible though the melted Swiss cheese.
My first bite consisted of several ingredients but delivered an acrid flavor. I then tried each of the items separately – the bacon and melted Swiss tasted great, the lettuce and onion were fine, and the tomato was mealy but didn’t have a bad flavor. I then sampled the beef patty. Awful. Either the griddle was unclean or had just been cleaned with something that was not to be consumed; whatever it was, the patty had picked it up. For what was advertised as top sirloin freshly ground on site, there was no beef flavor and the only seasoning I could detect was a touch of black pepper. The prominent flavor was burnt plastic.
I’m hoping that my burger was a one-of-a-kind error. I can’t imagine that the other three patrons that were delivered burgers after mine were experiencing the flavor that I had encountered. But the meal wasn’t a total loss: the bun was much larger than the patty so several bites were simply a grilled cheese with bacon sandwich.
Nick’s has a new owner who is in the midst of introducing a few changes. Patio tables, Sunday hours, and menu tweaks have already been instated. I don’t know if the burger I had was the new version or the old. Perhaps I should have taken the Tapatio advice.
Rating: 1.5
Nick’s Cafe
1300 North Spring Street
Los Angeles, California 90012
(323) 222-1450
www.nickscafela.com
Hours: Monday – Friday 5:30AM – 2:00PM
Saturday and Sunday 6:30AM – 2:00PM
